The Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, known simply as the Vanguard Cadets, is an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Santa Clara, California.

The corps was formed in 1971 as a feeder corps to the Santa Clara Vanguard. Initially a parafde corps, by the mid-Seventies, it had become a "cute kids" field corps.

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The Vanguard Cadets began sporadic touring in 1990. In 2000, The Cadets became the first feeder corps ever to achieve DCI membership,

In the corps fourth appearance at Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships since 1991, the Vanguard Cadets won the 2000 DCI Division II World Championship. The corps did not defend its title in '01, as it was then only attending DCI every other year.

The Cadets attended DCI 2006-09 and won its second title in the renamed Open Class in 2008. The corps once more passed up DCI in 2010, but has attended every year since.

Despite their cadet corps status, the Vanguard Cadets are a fully competitive Open Class corps and have won additional World Championships in 2013, '15, amd '17.